September 05, 2014 - The National Association of
Airline Passengers, a non-partisan, non profit
membership organization has filed a formal
Petition for Rule-making with the FAA to set
standards guaranteeing each passenger adequate
leg, hip, and shoulder room. FAA currently has
no standards limiting how small seats can be or
how tightly they may be placed.

Smaller seats and overcrowded airplanes produce
conditions that are unsafe, uncomfortable, and
unhealthy for passengers and aircrew alike.
Higher density seating and the lack of standards
on seat width, legroom, and seat recline have
led to unnecessary conflict, altercations, and
even flight diversions.

Delta flight from New York
City to West
Palm Beach,
Flight 2370 was diverted to
Jacksonville, as a result
of two passengers getting into a heated argument
over reclining a seat which lead one of the
passengers involved to state to the flight crew,
"I don't care about the consequences, put this
plane down now."

United Airlines flight,
Flight 1462 from
Newark
to Denver was diverted
after a passenger used a device called a "knee
defender" to stop the person in front of him
from reclining his seat while he used his laptop
on the tray table.

"Passengers are not powerless to stop the trend
to smaller seats and overcrowded airplanes.",
said Douglas Kidd, Executive Director of the
National Association of Airline Passengers.

"They can insist the FAA act now to set
standards, and they can have a say in what those
standards will be. Passenger pressure forced the
FAA to set more reasonable rules on Portable
Electronic Devices, and can be just as effective
in making seats more comfortable."

Passengers can show their support for seat
standards by contacting their representatives,
and posting their comments and opinions directly
with the FAA
website.